Month: August 2013

Nothing says ‘grass roots motoring’ like the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise.
Did you know that the Woodward Dream Cruise actually started as a small fundraiser to raise money for a soccer field in Ferndale, Michigan?
In August 1995, Nelson House and a group of volunteers looked to relive and recreate the nostalgic 1950s and 1960s, when Detroit Iron cruised and dominated Woodward Avenue.
Woodward Avenue is actually America’s first highway. In 1909, the first mile of concrete highway in ...

Stephen Cox blogs about Porsche’s multi-million-dollar spectacular Spyder.
I confess that I am a muscle car guy.Can't help it. I grew up cruising Mustangs and Torino's on Saturday night and Sundays
at the strip. But after watching Mecum Auctions sell Porsche 550-0077, right, for over 3.7 million dollars at Monterey last weekend, I couldn't help but be impressed with the little machine.
The 550 was Porsche's first race-specific design. Introduced in Paris in 1953, the 550 was famously mo...

The best just keeps on getting better: 63rd Concours d’Elegance showcased 248 cars, including 48 from abroad, and ambiance second to none.
Joseph and Margie Cassini III, West Orange, NJ took home Best of Show honors for their stunning ‘34 Packard 1108 Twelve Dietrich Convertible Victoria. The Packard, above, also participated in the Tour d'Elegance. The competition at the 63rd Concours included cars from 36 states and 12 countries, and raised $1,277,007 for charity.
"This Packard is the e...

When it comes to displays of exceptional vintage and modern street and competition cars, few venues can match The Quail’s Motorsports Gathering.
For the past eleven, The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering has proved one of the most significant attractions during Monterey Classic Car Week. And yesterday’s event certainly proves that. The event took place at the Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel Valley. Surrounded by spectacular cars, participants and guests enjoyed exceptional world-class c...

Stuart Schorr blogs about he and Jaguar Design Director, Ian Callum’s plans for cruising Woodward in new F-TYPES.
This weekend the infamous exhaust sounds of our all-new Jaguar F-TYPEs will add to the cacophony created by the 40,000 or so American classics, hot rods and muscle cars cruising Detroit’s Woodward Avenue for the annual Woodward Dream Cruise, blogs Stuart Schorr, Vice President, Communications & Public Affairs, Jaguar Land Rover North America.
If that isn’t a big enough surpr...

Dan Gulino blogs about the rare 396/375 SS Z16 Chevelle, the Supercar that did an end-run around GM’s big-block/midsize car ban.
Only 201 Z16 Chevelles were built in 1965 and Ronald Pace has one of the finest examples in existence. The Z16 was Chevrolet's answer to Pontiac's sensational GTO. The ‘65 Chevelle Malibu SS Z16 included a heavy-duty chassis, suspension, axle, and brakes, a four-speed manual transmission, and unique power steering components. The 396-inch L37 engine was conservativ...

GMI contributor, MonaroSS, blogs about what Chevrolet can do to bring back its legendary musclecar on GMInsideNews.
We here on GMI have discussed the RWD saga in all its forms and 50 shades of grey. But I have a new one. Instead of Chevrolet getting it’s long longed-for RWD Chevelle from the Zeta or Alpha or Alpha+ or Omega whatever platforms, why not Sigma?
Why not re-skin the outgoing CTS, above, as a Chevelle as I have done here? Sigma is a good and competent platform that simply is n...

Oldwick Café Racer Tom Miller runs his personal best time at the Mt. Equinox climb to the clouds in his Porsche Mong-Spyder.
Cars have been competitively challenging Mt. Equinox for more than 60 years and, in the United States, only Pike’s Peak predates it. Unique among hill climb venues, Mt. Equinox, near Manchester, VT boasts the longest paved (5.2-mile) hill climb course in the world. Oldwick, NJ Café Racer Tom Miller, a collector, vintage racer, restorer and marketer of classics and high...

Dominik Farnbacher & Marc Goossens, #91 Viper GTS-R, take the Podium at the first factory-backed ‘ALMS Series presented by Tequila Patron’ win
for Viper since 2000.
It was the 17th factory-backed victory for SRT Viper in ALMS competition (16 victories from 1999-2000). The last victory came December 31, 2000 in Adelaide, Australia. The Vipers posted a 1-2 finish led by Karl Wendlinger/Dominique Dupy followed by Jean-Philippe Belbc
and Ni Amorium. That was then; this...

The cover comes off the NSX Concept on August 18 at the Pebble Beach Concours.
Acura ties the showing of its NSX Concept to the announcement of the Acura brand as an Official Sponsor of the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
“The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is more than one of the world’s preeminent exhibitions of luxury automobiles; it is a celebration of style and refinement that is the perfect showcase for the Acura NSX Concept,” said Michael Accavitti, senior vice preside...